Profiles

King Crabs, Glitter Toes, and Lumberjack Shows: The Diary of an Alaska Nail Cruise

Nail Those Profits At Sea (NTP), an educational cruise for nail techs, has been sailing the waters of the Caribbean and Mexico for more than 17 years. This year we ventured into new territory and took to the northern seas of Alaska. Nail education, networking, and plenty of fun were in order as we set sail in August on the Carnival Spirit.

Nail Those Profits At Sea (NTP), an educational cruise for nail techs, has been sailing the waters of the Caribbean and Mexico for more than 17 years. This year we ventured into new territory and took to the northern seas of Alaska. Jackets and umbrellas were the style, instead of flip-flops and bathing suits. Nail education, networking, and plenty of fun were in order as we set sail in August on the Carnival Spirit. In addition to all the fun and activities on the boat, I decided to “salon shop” while we were in port. I visited two great salons while in Juneau and Ketchikan.

DAY 1: All Aboard

I got up at the crack of dawn and headed for the airport — we were sailing at 9 p.m. that night so I had plenty of time to get there. I was flying from Los Angeles to Anchorage, Alaska, to catch the ship. (I usually like aisle isle seats, but I knew the view over Alaska was going to be incredible, so I opted for a window seat this time.) All those snow-covered volcanoes and glaciers from the sky kept my nose pressed to the glass the whole way.

After being greeted at the Anchorage airport by a Carnival rep we took a 90-minute bus trip through some absolutely beautiful areas. Going through a two-mile long, one-way tunnel (the oncoming traffic takes turns going through) that was built to access the ship’s location, we arrived at Whittier where the Spirit was docked. Once aboard and settled in I checked the view from my balcony — it was stunning and we hadn’t even set sail. Because we were so far north, the sun had still not set at 9:30 p.m.

DAY 2: Sailing Prince William Sound and College Fjord

I woke up early to one of the most gorgeous views I saw all week. It was time for the welcome gathering and the first seminar of the cruise.

Detective Corporal Jorge Campos of the Gainesville Florida Police Department held an extremely informative presentation on Internet crimes and predators. After lunch I demonstrated how to apply custom mixed glitter in gel and apply it to the toenails. Salon owner Nanci Soltani from Fandango in Santa Rosa, Calif., demonstrated a new “secret” technique to get a similar look for those of us who don’t want gel on our toes by applying mylar one piece at a time in polish. My mylar-polished toes lasted a month after Nanci did them. It was fun and my cabin was full of glitter for the rest of the week. The cabin steward must have hated us!

DAY 3: Sitka, Alaska

Sitka was out first stop and we all found ourselves window-shopping in the most incredible fur jacket stores. Lida, Dr.G’s wife, was the only one who purchased a jacket and to my pleasure I learned that when an animal is used for its fur the Alaska law is that 90% of the animal is used for food and other things so nothing is wasted.